Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-11-14
REDWOOD.
What a Worker in Wood Says
About Production.


to your question, of "What do you
know about redwood? ?" 1 will state IA
few facts, which all acquainted with
the wood, l am sure will certify TO-,
viz: That it stands first for general
use of all woods known. None are
perfect in all requirements, but the
redwood certainly comes nearer to
perfection than any other known in
our day this |, after fifty years prac-
teal experience, can certify to. There
are the Brazilian and Mexican rose
woods-they can never be depended
upon for holding together with glue ;
they are full of oil-destroy the oil
and you destroy the beauty OF the
wood. Per contra, no wood in the
world holds better than our
redwood when glued. There is the
st. Domingo, the Cuban, the Mexican,
and the Honduras mahogany, all
beautiful woods, but for general use
and for beauty they pale before GU
redwood. There is the Spanish cedar,
| suppose member OF the mahogany
family; it is full OF gum; no matter
how much polish may be put upon it,
the gum forces its way through, and it
is impossible to keep it smooth. No
such trouble affects our red God. |
have pieces that we're polished years
ago, have been kicked about the shop,
sometimes outside, sometimes in, but
the polish is there-no gum exudes
through that. There is our own beau
tiful walnut, melancholy wood, carry
ing one back to the funeral of his grand
father; a room fitted up with it looks
more like morgue than a dwelling
nothing cheerful. But markl | have
an order for walnut doors, We will say.
The order is imperative; they must
neither warp, twist or shrink; the,
must keep their place in all weathers;
at all stations OF the mercury in Fab
renheit they must not move. Do |
trust the walnut? No. no; cut red
wood into segments, make a redwood
door, and put thin coat OF our wal
nut on the outside. The redwood is
the only wood that will fill the bill re-
quired above.
In connection with this, 1 would
say that l have tried {Canadian),
sugar pine, Port Oxford cedars and
other woods; none come up to the
mark like our redwood. There is the
butternut, the chestnut and other
woods of the walnut family-they are
us-d for their excellence in holding
glue, hardly seen upon the Outside.
The walnut and the butternut pro-
duce a burl, but far inferior in
quality, in size or in beauty
to the redwood burl. 1 have some in
my possession ten feet long. Not
even the far-famed burls of the Dan
ube, which, when landed in America.
bring almost their own weight in gold,
exceed in beauty the burls OF orr
beautiful redwoods. There is the
pine, the VIII tewood, the Eastwood,
and others of the wildwood family,
which can be used for certain purposes
only. Our redwood fills all their bills,
and for beauty and the quality of
keeping its place, it allows OF not even
IL comparison, it is so far ahead.
Then come our oaks-the live oak
of Florida, the white, the black, the
red of the Eastern States and Canada
NOT one Of them equals the redwoods
for general utility or beauty. The
white oak cracks by seasoning, and
cannot be depended upon until
stacked up for years the red oak you
can blow through piece ten feet long.
Our redwoods have none of those fail
ings. Then there is the ash. After
being for a few months in use the
grain will rise and silver, especially if
it is knocked about little. 1t also
produces burl, but far, far inferior
to our majestic redwood.
But if l do not tire your patience, /
would like to contrast the treatment
of those woods that are turned out as
lumber in the East and in Canada
with the treatment given our red
woods: In the first place, they are
cut down in the forest when the sap is
down, in cold weather. They are
hauled to the wa er, in which they are
allowed to swim for months, then
carefully sawed. carefully piled strips
are nailed upon the ends OF the bett' r
boards to preserve them from split
ting; they are well and carefully
treated they are left in the water un-
til the little sap left in them is thor-
ouglly washed out. Well do they
understand how to make the best of
what they have.
Now for the contrast. The redwood
is felled at any time, mostly when the
sap is running and he tree fu of life.
1t is hauled to the mill directly,
where, if handy, vessel lays; piece
by piece, as fast as sawed, it is loaded
close together in the hold-in the for
est to-day, tomorrow at sea in the
shape of lumber. Arrived in port, it
is sold Immediately, or perhaps or
dered before it is cut; loaded upon
wagons, and built into a hou e or barn
almost instantly. Now it goes there
full of sap or life; that dies, decays
and rots in the lumber. tits brutal
lied murdered. abused most shame